


Crane Games and Octoroks

by FaerieKing



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Also this is my first completed anything ever, Fluff, Kinda, Legend is soft, Mild Angst, PTSD, Time is mentioned once, crane game, idk how to tag things i'm sorry, listen its soft, pleas be gentle, trendy game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24648319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaerieKing/pseuds/FaerieKing
Summary: Hyrule falls in love with a crane game plushie, Legend is bitter and soft and can't sleep.
Relationships: Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 102





	Crane Games and Octoroks

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very bad at summaries I'm sorry ;-; also this is literally the first thing I've ever written and completed so please be gentle I'm trying,,
> 
> Thank you to everyone on tumblr who encouraged me to try writing, this literally wouldn't exist without you 💛
> 
> I wrote this in uhhhhhhbout an hour and a half or so? Idk why this one came so quick, my other fic in progress has been in the works for days now with no end in sight ;-;

As they enter the inn, Legend and Hyrule lag behind the other heroes. It had been a long day and Legend was about at his limit for dealing with people, but.. Hyrule wasn't ‘ _people_ ’. He would never admit it out loud, of course, but he had a soft spot for the unruly hero. He was the only one of their group that somehow never got on his nerves.

Lost in thought, he almost doesn't notice Hyrule’s gasp of delight and the tugging on his arm. _Almost_. 

He’s dragged over to a colorful, glass sided box tucked against a wall in the quiet lobby; it’s filled with even more colorful objects, piled atop each other and squashed against the glass. Hyrule is doing his best impression of the latter, pressing his hands and face to the side and peering in to get a better look at a small red _something_ near the top of the heap.

Legend quickly identifies the small red something as an octorok–the ugliest rendition of one he’d ever seen, in fact. 

Hyrule turns to him, the light from the machine reflecting in his eyes like stars as he says, “ Oh my _goddesses_ , Legend! That's the cutest thing I've ever seen! How do you get them out??”

He has to look quickly back to the ugly little octorok to maintain his composure, studying it and the machine quietly for a moment. “It’s a crane game. You use the buttons to move the claw at the top to grab them.”

The younger’s eyes light up as he turns back to the game.

“However,” he adds quickly, “they're known for being rigged.”

Confusion twists across Hyrule's face. “Rigged? What does that mean?”

“Well.. the people who make these games don't want you to get the stuff inside. They just want your money, and to not have to spend it to refill the machine.” 

Legend glances back to Hyrule before leaning forward, examining the claw itself, “they make it all but impossible to pick up what you want. Sometimes the claw arm is just jerky and hard to control, but more often I think they just make the claw itself too weak to pick anything up. It’ll _look_ like it's grabbed something but it doesn't clamp around it, so either it doesn't pick it up at all or it drops it before you've got it to the chute.”

He unwittingly recalls his time on Koholint, the greedy trendy game operator and how many rupees he _wasted_ for the things he needed. The things that bastard locked behind the game.

Perhaps on a better day he wouldn't let his bitterness sour Hyrule’s excitement, but as it stands he's had enough without dealing with memories from that island. On a day like today, even something as seemingly innocuous as this game could set him off.

His eyes and voice harden slightly as he continues, “They want you to think it's possible. They want you to have enough hope and to want whatever’s in it enough that you'll empty your wallet trying to get it. Most people end up with nothing to show for it. The only person I've known to be able to get something spent hundreds of hours and thousands of rupees doing it again and _again_ until he won.”

Hyrule seems to notice his bitterness about the game, the kind of thing that only comes with experience; and decides right then that as cute as the little octorok is, he would rather Legend be happy.

“Oh,” Hyrule says lightly, “that's pretty awful of the people who made it.” 

He turns to Legend once again with a small smile, “but that's ok! That octorok is cute but it's not worth wasting rupees on if it's impossible to get!” _And not worth hurting you_. 

“Come on! I think the others already got rooms!” He ignores the slightly surprised look on the veteran’s features and drags him over to get a key from Time.

~~~

Later that night, Legend lays awake. He would much rather have followed Hyrule’s example and fallen asleep hours ago, but his thoughts are racing and refuse to calm.

_Koholint was so long ago_ , he thinks. _I shouldn't still be bothered by **any little thing** that reminds me of it._

His unruly thoughts flip to an image of a red haired girl with a hibiscus in her hair; and he sits up suddenly, gripping his hair in anger.

_No! **No!** I can't go back and change it! Just– just let me forget..._

He slumps down, feeling tears start to heat up his face, scrubbing his eyes and scowling violently.

_I **will not** let this get the best of me!_

Legend rips the covers off before remembering he’s not alone, looking over apprehensively to check that he hadn't disturbed Hyrule. Seeing his descendent resting soundly, he breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

The fight had mostly left him, but he knew he still wouldn't be able to sleep. He needed to do something though, or his thoughts would never calm. Glancing about the room, he saw nothing quiet enough to occupy his hands without waking Hyrule. 

_Hyrule…_

Legend stands and shoves on his boots and cap. Not bothering to grab his red tunic, he loops his belt on over his dark green undershirt and hooks his wallet to it.

The door closes quietly behind him and he finds himself back downstairs in the lobby before he realized he was out of bed.

Before him, mockingly, stands the crane game. The ugly little octorok was still there, staring at him from its spot on the pile. He stands stock still for a solid minute before he sets his jaw and makes up his mind. 

Digging out a sparkling yellow rupee, he drops it in the awaiting slot and settles in for a long night.

~~~

Hours later, wallet considerably lighter but prize clutched in his hands, he tiredly climbs the stairs back to his room. 

Ridding himself of boots, cap, and belt; he cautiously slinks over to check on Hyrule. The brunette is still sleeping soundly, thank Hylia, so he gently tucks the little octorok into his arms before turning back to his own bed. 

His descendant suddenly shifts in bed, Legend freezing quickly in a tense mockery of sleep. 

“Legend…?” Hyrule's tired mumbling rings out across the room, and the aforementioned hero’s fear balls up in his throat. 

He remains frozen until Hyrule’s shifting stills and he hears quiet breathing even out, finally letting out a breath of his own. _That was too close.._ his mind oh-so-helpfully supplies.

Turning his eyes back to his companion, his features soften and he lets slip a rare smile. 

_Perhaps… but it was worth it._


End file.
